LIT hosts welding competition

Dan Wallac, Beaumont Enterprise

By Dan Wallach

Published 8:41 am, Wednesday, October 2, 2013

A student works Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

A student works Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology s new...

Christopher Collins, 21, works Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology's new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

Christopher Collins, 21, works Monday at Lamar Institute of...

A student works Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology's new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

A student works Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology's new...

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology...

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology...

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology...

Kerrick Hudson, 35, worked Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology's new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

Kerrick Hudson, 35, worked Monday at Lamar Institute of...

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology...

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology...

Garrett Floyd, 19, worked Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology...

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology...

Christopher Collins, 21, works Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology's new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

Christopher Collins, 21, works Monday at Lamar Institute of...

Kerrick Hudson, 35, worked Monday at Lamar Institute of Technology's new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

Kerrick Hudson, 35, worked Monday at Lamar Institute of...

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

xxx works at Lamar Institute of Technology s new technology...

John McKeehan discusses Monday Lamar Institute of Technology's new technology training center, the classroom for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. The technology training center includes welding rooms, the HVAC department, industrial mechanics and advanced engine technology spread across four renovated steel-framed buildings on four acres. Dedication for the place -- and naming it for state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands -- takes place Wednesday.
Photo: Cassie Smith

The Lamar Institute of Technology's new training and education building on the north side of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway has an interesting recruitment activity planned for today - a welding competition for more than 100 high school students - at about the same time the facility is dedicated.

The center will be named for state Sen. Tommy Williams, who helped secure state money to convert the former steel-framed warehouse into labs to train students for the real world of work.

But recruiting might not be a problem.

John McKeehan, the welding program director, said he has more than 100 students this semester.

McKeehan cited information from the American Welding Society that by 2019, there will be a shortage of 320,000 welders in the United States, thanks to a combination of expected work and expected retirements from among the current workforce.

Shane O'Bannion of Sour Lake wants to be one of the new welders.

"I'm hoping to get welding shop work," said the 2013 Sour Lake High School graduate. "I'm going for my associate's degree."

That's a two-year degree. The LIT program also offers a one-year certificate. Both classes will be able to get jobs, McKeehan said.